Allied Battle Tanks
"Allied Tanks are no pushovers. What they lack in firepower and armour, they make up for in flexibility and speed. While they would be crushed under our treads in a head on fight, the Allies have a nasty habit of popping up anywhere and everywhere along the front." :- General Oleg Vodnik, Chief of the Soviet Armed Forces The Allies have had a large number of tank designs through their history, some more successful than others. = Light Tanks = M4 Beagle Light Tank Main Article: Beagle Light Tank With start of the war, the newly-formed Allied Nations weren't prepared for such an aggressive assault and most of their armed forces in Europe were on the level of the previous war, weak and far from ready for a massive Soviet assault. Allied Command requested several military companies to create as many tanks of any class. One of the first American tanks was the M3 Colbert medium tank, which, although effective, was still outgunned by the Soviet Anvil Heavy Tank. Lima Locomotive Works took inspiration from the Colbert and created a light tank, which would become one of the characteristic symbols of Allied Nations; the M4 "Beagle" Light Tank. The Beagle debuted in the European theatre just a year after the start of the war, and soon Allied commanders were utilizing them in combination with PzKpfw. VI Mastiff tanks. Though Beagles were no match for Soviet Anvils one on one, they could outrun and outmanoeuvre the ponderous Anvil tanks. These characteristics would eventually lead to the development of a highly successful tactic; in battle, Mastiffs would draw the attention of Soviet tanks, letting their frontal armour absorb fire, while Beagles would outflank the Soviet armour to attack their vulnerable rear. When the peace treaty was signed, most of the Allied vehicles were sealed in "Boneyards", but still many Beagles serve with various nations around the world, such as South Vietnam. Over 75,000 Beagle tanks are still in great complexes in the Arizona desert; awaiting a call to action that never came; the famous Beagle and its counterparts had been replaced by newer designs when the Soviets launched their next offensive. Although most are still in operational condition, the Allies handed over their formal ownership to the United States in 1963. For over six years they have been rusting under the Arizona State Guard, who have converted the Boneyard into their formal training field. When the State Guard was federalized in the wake of the Imperial invasion of the West Coast, a study was conducted in order to see the value of the once formidable weapon of war. The results were wildly publicized throughout the country, to calm a panicked public, that almost the entire fleet was within combat readiness should the need arise. SwM-4e9 Crocodile Hovertank Main Article: Crocodile Hovertank M555 Stewart Tank Main Article: Stewart Tank = Main Battle Tanks = M3 Colbert Medium Tank The strange multi-turreted M3 Colbert was the primary battle tank of the USA throughout the 1940s, and saw action as the United States joined the Second World War. It was not a great tank hunter; not only did it have a very high profile, but its primary 75mm gun was limited to a ninety degree traverse, giving it difficulty in the highly mobile warfare of the era. However, the considerable power of the 75mm gun, larger than other calibres in common use at the time, allowed it to stand toe-to-toe with the Soviet T-40. The most notable development related to the tank was a result of its considerable speed; Allied commanders discovered they could circle around T-55 tanks and use their 37mm cannons on their weak rear armour, which would quickly disable the tank by tearing apart the engine block. The next tank in the series, the M4 Beagle, took full advantage of this strategy, losing the extra weight of the 75mm and becoming a true light tank. Mark II Infantry Tank Matilda III The British had very different idea of tank design from the rest of the world. Where most of the world thought in terms of light, medium and heavy weight classes, the British had two different classifications; Cruisers, which focused on speed and range, and Infantry tanks, which looked to thick armour and heavy guns. The Matilda was definitely one of the latter, and to this day is considered one of the most robust tanks ever made. Its armour was layered, reinforced and built from high-quality steel and tough composite materials, and the result was a tank that could take a beating and keep right on fighting like none other. It excelled in the early defensive actions of the war, and groups of them could easily stand up to Anvil heavy tanks, absorbing their fire like a sponge while closing to let the 77mm anti armour gun do its deadly work. The stories of their capabilities were the stuff of legend; one tank of the Fourth Armoured took 10 hits from the 107mm guns of Anvil tanks in one engagement and six rockets, and continued to operate. As the Allies switched to a more mobile style of combat, the Matilda was retired, but it has carved a place into the heart of Great Britain with its stalwart and robust nature; to this day the Royal Family is guarded by Matilda IV tanks. Interestingly, the Saudi Arabians also use a number of these tanks in their military, where they are known as Armadillos. Char B2 Battle Tank The Char B2 tank was a heavy French machine, effective despite the vastly divergent design philosophy that had created it. The French army never really got over the First World War; the massive human cost of that conflict had scarred the nation against offensive warfare and into a defensive stance. Where the rest of the world was preparing for highly mobile warfare (the commonly used German term, Blitzkrieg), the Char B2 was definitely built for a different era. Its exposed return tracks and profile were highly reminiscent of the Mark 1 tank, and it was, like the FT 17 and the Mark I, divided into "Male" and "Female" variants with corresponding weapons. The Char B2 was not a terribly effective battle tank against the Anvil and T-40, but was occasionally used as a linebreaker. PzKpfw. VI. Mastiff Tank Main Article: Mastiff Medium Tank As the Soviets approached the German border in 1949, the Germans finally threw off the Treaty of Versailles and revealed their long-running tank design project and the Panzer series. Their designs were revolutionary, combining thick armour, the absurdly powerful 88mm gun and decent speed with the latest in command and control technology. The best of these designs was the Panzerkampfwagen VI. Ausf. A, the "Tiger". A joint project of Henschel & Son and Porsche Motor Company, the Tiger was the largest and best protected tank in Allied service. Henschel & Son designed the chassis and turret, equipped with the devastating 88mm cannon, (which proved the only weapon capable of penetrating the front armour of Soviet tanks if aimed carefully) and Porsche provided the Maybach HL 235 1200hp engine, which gave the tank high mobility. An armoured cupola with a machine gun was added to the turret to allow the tank to deal with infantry. There was something of a scandal when the project was revealed, as Germany had been banned from tank development. Chancellor Stauffenberg defended his country's actions, citing that any other nation would have done the same in his place. The issue was quickly dropped as the war took priority. Though the German designs were solid, there were few examples early in the war as the Germans had no standing producing infrastructure. However, given that it was the only tank that could stand up to the Soviet Anvils, the Tiger was quickly adopted as the new Allied medium tank, renamed the Mastiff. When US reinforcements arrived with new M4 "Beagle" light tanks, the combination of the Mastiffs and Beagles proved to be the best strategy against Soviet Army. Mastiffs attracted the attention of the Anvils and gave Beagles time to flank and destroy them. This strategy proved itself time and time again. Henschel & Son still manufacture Mastiffs for use of other countries in Allied Nations. These variants are: * Ausf. B - The first variant of Mastiff, which saw action during World War II which could be fitted with even more powerful 105mm guns if need be. The Ausf. B was phased out of production after WWII ended, and the old Ausf. B Mastiffs were sealed in Boneyards in United States, now serve to the Confederate Revolutionaries. * Ausf. D - This variant is mostly built for the National Revolutionary Army. It was actually created by the Chinese themselves when Allies sold them older Ausf. B and their engineers upgraded them with a screw-propeller and the hull to be able to "flow" on the water. Its machine gun was removed and on its place was placed a grenade launcher. Henschel & Son responded quickly and started producing this variant for cheaper price and selling them to their Chinese allies. * Ausf. F - The most advanced variant, mostly used by the Allied Reservists. Crusader Tank At the end of the Second World War, the once disparate militaries of Europe were barely recognisable compared to what they had been before the war. To drive off the Soviets, the Allied Nations had banded their militaries together into a unified fighting force; a shared doctrine, shared equipment, shared uniforms, a single chain of command. But while this would serve the Allies well during the war, many people were left rankled by this. Sure, it was necessary during the war. The war was now over; Stalin was no longer alive, the Soviet Union had made peace. Many of the sweeping wartime mandates that had demanded military standardisation were repealed by the post-war Allied parliament; the unified Allied Forces that had stopped Stalin's divisions from overrunning Europe was dissolved back into the individual national armies, free to go their separate ways. Indeed, though the blue uniform and Allied insignia is still retained across all Allied member states, there are quite a few differences between the various national militaries now. The Mastiff tank, once the sole main battle tank of all Allied Nations, has since been partially or wholly phased out in quite a number of Allied member states, replaced by various national designs. It is notable how different these designs are from each other. For example, the American M60 Grizzly is a highly offensive design, geared towards speed and manoeuvrability. In contrast, the French Crusader could almost be considered its opposite; it is considerably slower and less mobile compared to its counterparts in other countries (which is said to be one of the reasons why the Peacekeepers rejected it), but on the other hand it can survive hits that would destroy other tanks, thanks to the thick slabs of composite and steel that protect it. The Crusader is also equipped to defend itself from a wide variety of threats; alongside the 120mm armour-piercing main gun, there is also a 20mm autocannon for dealing with lighter vehicles, and a pintle mounted machine gun for fending off infantry. Though a few argue that that these differences in doctrine and equipment was one of the reasons why the Soviets had greater success (for a time) in the Third World War than in WWII, nevertheless it would appear that disparate designs such as the Crusader are here to stay. M62 Grizzly Main Battle Tank During the Second World War, both sides had employed heavily armoured, overgunned battle tanks, massive in weight and generally unimpressive in terms of speed. With the end of the war, however, the trend was rapidly shifting towards lighter vehicles; most Allied tank designers had conceded that any tank with the armour to resist modern anti-tank weapons would be so heavy that mobility would suffer severely. Newer vehicles, as such, should instead rely on speed and a low profile to provide survivability. The M62 Grizzly tank is possibly the vehicle that best illustrates this school of thought. The Grizzly would enter service with the United States Army in 1962, just in time for it to be in sufficient numbers for World War 3. Its original iteration was armed with a 105mm main gun and a 800 hp engine; though the design was far less well armoured compared to some other tanks, it made up for it with speed; the Grizzly was fast enough that it could literally run circles around Soviet tank columns, or alternatively bypass them altogether, instead moving in to strike at more vulnerable rear elements. This followed the philosophy so successfully put to use by the Beagle. Several iterations were subsequently introduced to keep the Grizzly competitive; the iteration that narrowly lost to the Guardian, the M62A1, sported several improvements over the original, including a 90mm main gun, smoke grenade launchers and a 900 hp engine; the latest iteration of the Grizzly is the M62A2, which boasts a remote controlled machine gun turret (replacing the manned machine gun on older models), and improvements to the Grizzly's armour, among other things. All models of the Grizzly, however, sport the distinctive chassis design consisting of two drive trains extending beyond the main hull, a configuration that gives the Grizzly its impressive speed. Since the end of the Third World War, there have been rumours that the United States Army is developing a new iteration of the Grizzly. According to those same rumours, improvements are to include amphibious capability similar to the Tsunami tank, the use of composite materials in order to reduce weight, and upgrades to the spectrum rangefinder and infrared equipment. MBT-X8 Guardian Tank Main Article: Guardian Tank The Peacekeepers are in a unique position among the militaries of the world. Whereas other armies pour thousands of dollars and years of effort into the development and testing of tank designs, the Peacekeepers can just choose the best tank from their contributing nations. And the Guardian Tank is (or at least was) the best MBT in the world. Although, on paper, it didn’t outperform the American Grizzly by much, out on the field, the Guardian excelled in its intended role. The Allied policy towards armour is support for the infantry, while their air force took centre stage. The Grizzly on the other hand was more of a super powered flanker, using its superior speed and manoeuvrability to outflank the opposing armour and attack its weaker side; this, however, did not make it well suited for infantry support. The Guardian is a completely different story. Designed from the ground up to cater to the Allied armour doctrine, it was better armed and armoured with United Armour’s next generation Chobham armour, allowing it to shrug off damage while letting the infantry finish off the enemy. Neither is it a pushover in direct combat, as its 90mm smoothbore gun gives it respectable fire power. However, the crowning jewel in its armory is the spectrum target designator, allowing it to support other weapons in the Allied arsenal with targeting data. When first undergoing trials in the early 1960s it outperformed all other contenders; Allied high command thought that at last they could compete with the Soviets on an even footing. That was until Soviet Hammer tanks rolled over the Polish border... PzKpfw. VII. Predator Ausf. A The period between the Second and Third World Wars saw the development of many tank designs on the Allied side. There are a number of reasons for this. Firstly, tensions between the Allies and Soviets that continued even after the war had ended led to a massive arms race on both sides, each side seeking to surpass the other. As a result of this, the development of new weapons of war proceeded at a pace pretty much the same as during the war. The countries of the Allied Nations wanted only the best to defend their homes with should the Soviets attack again. The second reason was the formation of the Peacekeepers. While the Peacekeepers continued to use the Mastiff as their primary tank for several years after their formation, in the early 1960s the Peacekeepers announced a massively lucrative contract for a new main battle tank. Given the size of the contract offered, it was not surprising that numerous defence contractors took part. Many of them had already been in the development of new tanks for their respective countries. The German company Henschel & Son was among the companies that took part. Having already developed a solid reputation for expertise in tank design following their development of the Mastiff Tank, the engineers at Henschel & Son had already been working on a main battle tank design when the contract was announced. Their design, the Predator, had been developed with the intention that it should be able to best any current as well as possible future Soviet main battle tank designs in a one on one fight. Their final design was a masterpiece of German engineering. Combining thick sloped armour, a powerful engine, and a offset 88mm main gun, the Predator was fast, hard-hitting and durable. However, the Predator failed to secure the position of Peacekeeper main battle tank, instead losing out to the British Guardian. Though the Predator could best the Guardian in a one-on-one fight, it was overengineered and costly, with the offset main gun, rocket pod, and various other features making the Predator unnecessarily complicated. Ultimately, the Guardian proved far easier to produce, being far less complex and affordable to mass-deploy by comparison. = Tank Destroyers = Churchill Mk III AVRE Heavy Infantry Tank Playing on the success of the Matilda, the British made a even more robust tank than the Matilda III. Dedicated to the Prime Minister at the time, the Churchill Mk III AVRE (Assault Vehicle Royal Engineer) Heavy Tank turned out to be extremely slow but well-armoured weapon. Designed to shatter Soviet bunkers, the Churchill used a spring-loaded, rocket propelled demolition round affectionately called the Flying Dustbin to quite simply blow up anything that got in the way, though variants with 76.5mm guns (Churchill Wasps) also existed. The Churchill has been retired from British service, but still sees use with some other Allied member states. PzJg. 44 Bulldog Tank Destroyer Main Article: Bulldog Tank Destroyer XMTB-66 Mirage Tank Main Article: Mirage Tank PzJg. 64 Wolfhound Ausf. C "You call that armour?" :- Wolfhound tank commander There are few things more feared than a Soviet tank division. Throughout the Second and Third World Wars, the Soviets have repeatedly demonstrated the superiority of Soviet armour, smashing aside the puny tanks of other countries with horrendous ease. And throughout the wars, the Allies have always tried to counter Soviet armoured superiority. Of these methods, one of them was the construction of ever more deadly tank destroyers, such as the Mirage Tank and the Bulldog. During the Second World War, the Bulldog had performed well, ambushing Soviet tank columns and destroying them from the rear. However, despite the Bulldog's record, some, such as the Germans, felt that it wasn't enough. Following the end of the war, the Germans set about designing and building a new tank destroyer to supplant the Bulldog in their armies, believing (rightly) that the Soviets might decide to invade again. After a lengthy development, the Germans unveiled the new Wolfhound mere months before the Soviets invaded Europe, kicking off World War III. Roughly a hundred or so Wolfhounds had been deployed when Germany fell. Unlike the Bulldog and the Mirage, both of which utilise stealth to spring traps on Soviet forces and strike at their most vulnerable points, the German Wolfhound is far more direct. It forgoes stealth for range and power, mounting a long barrelled 150mm high velocity anti tank gun, an anti armour weapon so powerful as to rival the dreaded Drakon cannons. A powerful optics pod combines all of the tank destroyer's targeting equipment into one, compact package. It didn't disappoint. Certainly, the tank could not conduct ambushes the way the Bulldog and Mirage could, but the range and power of its 105mm anti tank gun made that unnecessary. The Wolfhound could destroy Rhino Tanks and even the newer Hammer Tanks from ranges in excess of several kilometers, easily outranging the 85mm and 115mm guns of the Soviet tanks. Unfortunately, the Wolfhound was not available in sufficient bulk for them to significantly influence the outcome of the Soviet invasion of Germany, having only just entered production. Despite this, the losses they inflicted on the Soviet tank divisions were staggeringly out of proportion to their small number, and a deeply humiliating blow to the Soviet belief in their armoured supremacy, so much that the few Wolfhounds that the Soviets captured were quickly destroyed and their crews executed, the Soviets believing that no Allied vehicle should be capable of wreaking such havoc on their tanks. Less than fifty of these vehicles, all from the 305th Panzer Battalion, were able to avoid destruction by escaping to Switzerland. Category:Lore